The Marquis's line has ended? The pregnant maid is pregnant again!

This time it wasn't in the small kitchen, but on the other side, on the wall near Lu Jihan's study.

Several craftsmen were there. When Qing'er saw Shen Qinghe get up, she quickly ran over to talk to her:

"Sister! These were all sent by the Marquis. He said he wants to build a small pavilion in our courtyard!"

Upon hearing this, Shen Qinghe, who was still somewhat dazed, immediately brightened up: "A pavilion??"

"Yes, the Marquis didn't tell me the details directly, but he did tell the craftsmen. They were already in the courtyard when I woke up this morning."

Qing'er said with a smile, "Whether it's called a pavilion or not, I don't know. Anyway, I saw the craftsmen say that according to the drawings drawn by the young marquis, it should be a small pavilion with three layers of gauze curtains hanging down on all four walls, and a small floor joist placed under the pavilion, covered with a thick cashmere carpet."

Then we'll put a double couch there, and lay a blanket on it. We also said that when it gets colder in winter, we'll put four small heaters in the four corners.

It is said that the Marquis noticed that his elder sister preferred to lie in the courtyard rather than stay in the room, and he was worried that if she lay outside for too long in the cold weather, she would catch a chill. So he thought that this way, his sister could stay outside even when it was cold.

The unique feature is that this gauze curtain is not a single piece, but rather layered into three parts to prevent wind damage.

As Qing'er spoke, her eyes sparkled, and she explained to Shen Qinghe in a low voice with a smile:

"The Marquis also said that if my sister wants to see the snow, the moon, and the stars, she only needs to lift up one side of the gauze curtain. There's no need to lift the entire curtain, just the left side."

Shen Qinghe raised an eyebrow, and a slight smile appeared on her face.

Since becoming pregnant, Shen Qinghe has indeed disliked staying in her room. Mainly because she spends about ten out of twelve hours a day in her room, which is quite boring.

Shen Qinghe liked to set up a soft couch in the courtyard, but the weather was getting colder and colder, so getting down was indeed a problem.

Shen Qinghe thought that Lu Jihan would be angry because she had fallen asleep in the courtyard last night, and that he would scold her again and keep her from staying in the courtyard any longer.

To her surprise, when Shen Qinghe woke up the next day, she was not met with blame, but rather with this scene.

Qing'er saw the smile on Shen Qinghe's face and knew that Shen Qinghe was happy inside. She teased with a smile, "Then it sounds like it shouldn't be called a pavilion, but a warm pavilion. Sister, in all my years in the manor, this is the first time I've seen the young marquis put so much effort into someone!"

In both her past and present lives, Shen Qinghe had indeed rarely seen Lu Jihan treat others like this.

There is only one…

Lu Jihan used to be very considerate to the representative.

However, Shen Qinghe was not sad. She didn't care about his heart. As long as Lu Jihan doted on her now, she was content with the affection, status, money, and tangible things he provided.

As for true feelings...

Shen Qinghe didn't think much about it, nor did she try to find out who Lu Jihan truly loved.

Sometimes, it's better to know less.

The highest and brightest sun and moon, the closest and most distant couple.

Moreover, she and Lu Jihan were by no means husband and wife.

A wise person judges by actions, not intentions. No one is perfect when it comes to intentions, and judging by intentions would only disrupt her rhythm.

Shen Qinghe didn't try to find out who Lu Jihan truly loved, nor did she try to find out what kind of feelings Lu Jihan had for her.

Whether Lu Jihan is real or not, whether he treats her as a good substitute or as someone unrelated to Ye Shu, it doesn't matter.

In short, Shen Qinghe only wanted everything she desired.

In this secluded mansion, in a world where men are superior and women are inferior, all she wanted was to climb higher and get more.

Overthinking will only bring sorrow.

Shen Qinghe thought for a moment, then looked at Qing'er beside her and asked, "Did Master say what time we'll be returning to the manor today?"

"The Marquis didn't say, but Linfeng did. He said the Marquis probably won't reply today. Apparently, he's leading his soldiers to wipe out a band of mountain bandits outside the city. I heard he won't be back until tomorrow at the earliest."

Qing'er thought about it carefully, and her cheeks even blushed slightly when she talked about Lin Feng.

"Mountain bandits??" Shen Qinghe hesitated for a moment, which reminded her of something.

Since her rebirth, Shen Qinghe has been busy with her own affairs, striving for status and climbing the ranks, and has somewhat neglected the traces of Lu Jihan's original life.

She remembered that in her previous life, Lu Jihan once went out to suppress bandits, and the place he went to was a small mountain called Lingque.

His soldiers were not seriously injured, but Lu Jihan himself was seriously wounded while protecting the civilians who had been captured in the mountain stronghold.

After finally wiping out the bandits and bringing their leader back, Lu Jihan's injuries were already quite severe by the time he reached the Marquis's residence.

After the bandits were wiped out, the emperor was very happy and promoted him to a higher rank. He even used this opportunity to issue an imperial edict, allowing Lu Jihan to inherit the title of Marquis of Zhenguo.

Generally speaking, this was indeed a very happy event for Lu Jihan at first.

If it weren't for this incident, which led to the emperor issuing an imperial edict, Lu Jihan would likely have had to wait several more years to inherit the marquisate.

But no one expected that incident would have such a significant impact on Lu Jihan, or rather, would harm him.

Lu Jihan was not only seriously injured that time, but the bandits were also extremely vicious. When they attacked Lu Jihan, all they thought about was revenge, so the knives that wounded Lu Jihan were all coated with deadly poison.

Although the Marquis's mansion sought out a renowned physician at that time to promptly cure Lu Jihan's poison, the poison had already penetrated into his body and could not be eradicated. From then on, Lu Jihan's originally robust body deteriorated day by day.

Because his skills were not as good as before and his body was no longer as agile, he died heroically in a battle a few years later in order to protect the people in the city. He was so badly injured that he was not even given a complete body.

It was precisely because of this that Lu Huai'an had an opportunity to take advantage of the situation.

In his previous life, it was precisely when Lu Jihan's health was deteriorating day by day that Lu Huai'an happened to pass the imperial examination with top honors.

The second wife's two sons, Lu Jihan and Lu Huai'an, were both getting weaker and weaker each day. Lu Huai'an, on the other hand, passed the imperial examination with top honors and finally entered the imperial court. With the help of Shen Qinghe, he thrived in the court.

Later, Lu Jihan died young without leaving any offspring, and remained childless until his death.

The title of Marquis of Zhenguo naturally fell to Lu Huai'an.

It can be said that the annihilation of the mountain bandits was a key turning point in changing Lu Jihan's story.

only…

Shen Qinghe hesitated, her brows furrowed, as she carefully recalled the events of her past life.

In her previous life, Shen Qinghe was not one of Lu Jihan's concubines, so she naturally had no way of knowing the details of that bandit suppression, and could only remember the approximate time when the incident occurred.

Wait a minute, this timing is wrong!

It must have been in the second year after Shen Qinghe became a concubine, a month before the imperial examination, when Lu Huai'an had already come to his senses.

It was a month after Lu Jihan was poisoned that Lu Huai'an passed the imperial examination with top honors.

But it's not even the New Year yet. Even after the New Year, we still have to wait more than a month before the bandit eradication.

It can't be this time, right?

Shen Qinghe couldn't quite figure it out, and couldn't be completely sure.

If it's because of my rebirth, and the different choices I made after this rebirth, that I indirectly influenced the occurrence and timing of many key events... then that seems plausible.

I could still hear Qing'er's voice replying:

"Yes, it's about suppressing bandits. I remember it was in the city... Lin Feng said it was somewhere called Lingque Mountain. He said it was about half a day's walk from Chang'an City."

"Lingque Mountain?!" As if struck by lightning, Shen Qinghe tensed up instantly, alarm bells ringing in her mind. "How could it be Lingque Mountain! It's only just past the Mid-Autumn Festival."

How could it have been almost six months ahead of schedule?!

"Qing'er, when are the Marquis and the others setting off?! Have they left yet?!" Shen Qinghe immediately grabbed Qing'er's wrist.

Shen Qinghe used great force, and Qing'er's wrist hurt a lot. Seeing Shen Qinghe's condition, she asked with concern:

"What's wrong, sister? The Marquis specifically told you before he left that you don't need to worry too much about him. Although there are bandits on Lingque Mountain, there aren't many of them, far fewer than the bandits we wiped out before. They'll be back in two days at most."

"No, no!!" Shen Qinghe's emotions were unusually intense. Forcing herself to calm down, she gripped her hand tightly: "Has the Marquis not left the city yet?! Tell me quickly!!"

Shen Qinghe was always cheerful and bright, and she never lost her temper or complained about the people they served.

Shen Qinghe was unusually agitated, and Qing'er noticed something was wrong, so she quickly replied, "Yes, yes, Linfeng said that we need to pack our belongings and arrange the soldiers' armor and weapons. We can't set off until noon. He also specifically said that the Marquis probably won't be able to come back to have lunch with you, sister."

"Noon, noon, there's still time, there's still time!"

Shen Qinghe suppressed her panic and calmed down immediately, instructing Qing'er and Fang Yu to prepare many things.

After making preparations, Shen Qinghe quickly led Qing'er and Fang Yu out of the Marquis's residence and first went to Doctor Lin's Jishan Hall.

Then, they headed straight for the military camp outside the city.

in the military camp.

Because they were going out to suppress bandits today, although Lu Jihan believed that the matter was a sure thing and he had everything under control, he still had to mobilize the soldiers according to the rules every time.

The soldiers should be given enough money to go home and see their parents and families, in case something happens along the way, or they don't even get to see them one last time.

As soon as Lu Jihan finished speaking, telling the soldiers to go home and see their parents, wives, and children, the soldiers excitedly started asking him why they were going back.

At this time.

Lin Feng rushed over in a panic, "Master!"

The soldiers were speaking a bit loudly, and Lu Jihan didn't hear them clearly. He glanced at Lin Feng and said, "Speak louder! What kind of coward are you!"

Lin Feng could only shout at the top of his lungs in front of all the soldiers, "My lord! Miss Qinghe has arrived, saying she was worried about you!!"

Immediately, the soldiers started laughing and joking.

Lu Jihan's ears turned completely red.